filed a suit in a Magistrate Court against him over a credit loan of N17.5 million granted to Ejigson Greener Synergy Limited by the First City Monument Bank Plc

A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State capital has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the Managing Director of the Pilot File Trade Network (PFTN) and Head of the Enemona Josh Humanitarian Foundation, David Gabriel over an alleged N17.5 million loan fraud.

Gabriel’s business partner, Ejigson Greener Synergy Limited through her Managing Director, Ejigah Sunday James, on July 23, 2022, filed a suit in a Magistrate Court against him over a credit loan of N17.5 million granted to Ejigson Greener Synergy Limited by the First City Monument Bank Plc, Anyigba Branch.

Speaking with SaharaReporters on the matter, James said he was in a business partnership with Gabriel and in the course of their business dealings, Gabriel applied for a loan of N17.5 million at the Anyigba Branch of FCMB for what he described as a business expansion facility, to which the loan application was granted and paid into James’ account.

However, James said Gabriel subsequently deceived him into paying the entire loan amount into different bank accounts in batches under the pretence that the funds were being deployed into their coal haulage partnership business for which the loan was secured.

Meanwhile, James said that based on their agreement, his partner was to take responsibility for the repayment of the credit facility loan to FCMB including the accrued interest but he reneged on the agreement as soon as the first instalment became due.

Also, Gabriel reportedly refused to maintain coal haulage delivery as agreed nor did he pay the fallen due instalment of the said facility. Then he allegedly severed ties with James, leaving the loan and its interest to continue to accumulate, thereby putting his business and reputation in jeopardy.

Following James’ suit, Gabriel was invited several times to appear before the Chief Magistrate Court but he persistently failed to honour the invitation.

The matter was scheduled for Thursday, August 18 but Gabriel did not appear in Court nor sent a representative, prompting the trial judge, Abdullahi Mopah, to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.

James told SaharaReporters that his counsel, Shadrach Ekpa, informed the court that the hearing notice was served to Gabriel on August 8 but he failed to appear in court.

Citing section 111 of the Kogi state administration of criminal justice law, Ekpa, therefore, prayed the court to issue a bench warrant to arrest Gabriel in order to compel him to appear before the court in the next sitting.

In his judgment, Justice Mopah granted the prayers of the counsel and ordered that Gabriel be compelled to appear before the court on September 13 for further hearing.

Gabriel’s message to James